Papua New Guinea are confident of advancing to the OFC Women's Nations Cup football final.

The Lakatois have finished runners up to New Zealand at the past three regional championships.

PNG take on Fiji in the first semi final today in Mare after convincing victories against Samoa, New Caledonia and Tahiti in Kone gave them a perfect record in Group A.

PNG coach Peter Gunemba said they had proven themselves against tough opposition.

"I think our pool was the toughest pool because I have seen a lot of improvement from especially Samoa," he said.

"Samoa, Tahiti, New Caledonia they played very good football. The game against Tahiti was the toughest one. We didn't expect it... and when I compare all the games that we played I thought that Pool A was the toughest and I believe that that has given us much strength to go into the semi finals."

PNG and Fiji last met at the 2015 Pacific Games, when the hosts prevailed 5-1 in Port Moresby.

Gunemba is backing his team to beat their Melanesian rivals and progress to the decider.

"Yes, they have some strengths in there while I have come up with some strategies to play against them," he said.

"I have seen their weakness, I have seen their strengths and during the training yesterday and today I talked about it and I believe we will be ok against them and we are confident of winning the game."

Fiji recorded big wins against Cook Islands and Tonga before a second-string team was thrashed 10-0 by New Zealand in the Group B decider.

Fiji coach Marika Rodu said his players were keen to create history.

"History says that we haven't beaten PNG in a long time. We want to change that," he said.

"We have a good pack of girls that can change this history. It's a matter of paying attention to the details of our game, believing in the philosophy and the vision of football we want to bring across." ​source: Radio New Zealand ​

BMD Wynnum Manly Seagulls are pleased to announce the signing of Papua New Guinea internationals Rahdly Brawa and Edene Gebbie.

Both players have recently been involved in tests for the Kumuls side against the England Knights and the Australian Prime Minister’s XIII.

Brawa (27-years-old) is a highly respected member of the PNG Hunters side and was named the club’s Players’ Player of the Year at their 2018 awards night.

The lock forward is a strong leader on and off the field, and plays with a high level of toughness and determination. Brawa gets through a mountain of work in the middle, averaging 115 run metres and 37 tackles per game.

Excitement machine Gebbie (23-years-old) made a lot of noise in his debut season in the Intrust Super Cup and collected the Hunters’ Rookie of the Year award for his efforts.

The fullback/winger is electric with the ball in hand, scoring 10 tries on the season and averaging 126 run metres per game.

Seagulls CEO Hanan Laban believes the Kumuls’ pair will make a big contribution to the Club in 2019.

“We are very excited to bring two high quality players in Rahdly and Edene to the Seagulls – both have proven records in the Intrust Super Cup and are test players for their country.

In Rahdly, you have a player who plays above his weight, and with plenty of heart every week. He is tenacious in attack and defence, and we believe he will bring a lot of positive energy to our side.

Edene is one of the best athletes in the competition who possesses speed and lethal finishing ability. He has the potential to take his game to another level at Wynnum Manly.

It is a great opportunity for both Rahdly and Edene to come to Australia to further their careers. We look forward to working with both players and helping them achieve their dreams in rugby league.”

FORMER Kumuls and SP PNG Hunters fullback Stargroth Amean and hooker Wartovo Puara Jr have signed on with English club Barrow Raiders for next season.Raiders director of rugby league Andy Gaffney said he could not wait to see Amean and Puara Jr in action for the English second division club after the pair agreed to join the club for the 2019 Betfred Championship season.The pair move to Craven Park with plenty of experience of playing in Australia’s Queensland Cup – one level below the NRL – for the Hunters, along with representing their country at the 2017 Rugby League World Cup.

Amean scored 36 tries in 64 appearances for the Hunters, and adds to a backline at Barrow which has already been boosted by the signings of Tee Ritson, Deon Cross and Jake Spedding.Amean is returning to the sport after nearly a year out studying science foundation at the University of Papua New Guinea and Gaffney was in no doubt about the value the 27-year-old would bring.“Stargroth can play wing, centre or fullback and he’s an absolute try machine, and it’s great to have him at Barrow,” Gaffney said.“He took time out the game this year to study at university and he wants to get back into the game.“He’s a top-drawer player and it’s great to get him at Barrow. I think we can all expect entertainment to go up a notch or two when he is on the field.“Our backline is now looking really, really exciting to watch.“I think there will be a few eyebrows raised when people see he’s come to Barrow.”Puara Jr, meanwhile, will be combining with Barrow vice-captain Nathan Mossop at hooker, taking over the position which was filled by Dean Parata this season.The 28-year-old has been with the Hunters since their inaugural season in 2014, making 108 appearances and scoring 25 tries.He spent six weeks on trial with NRL outfit South Sydney Rabbitohs during pre-season in 2015 too and has plenty of attributes which Raiders head coach Paul Crarey —himself a hooker of some renown during his playing days — was particularly eager to harness.“Wartovo, as a hooker, is very explosive,” Gaffney said.“He’s really solid in defence, which we liked, and he’s very smart around the ruck, which is the sort of hooker Cresta likes.“He’s played 100 plus games for the Hunters and we needed a hooker alongside Mossy, and he will definitely be a star in the Championship without a doubt.”Gaffney added: “They are two great players and I can’t wait to see them start.“It’s been to-ing and fro-ing over the last few weeks with them, and to get them signed up is great for the club.”The PNGRFL have yet to make a statement on the signing however this brings the number of Hunters signed by English clubs this year to four with the Boas brothers Ase and Watson inking a deal with the Featherstone Rovers (Betfred Championship) in August.

Edene Gabbie and Dan Russell have been named in the PNG Prime Ministers X111 starting line- up for this weekend’s Prime Ministers X111 International fixture against Australia at the Oil Search National Football Stadium in Port Moresby.

Gabbie and Russell will wear the national colours for the first time as wingers.Pacific Test in July during Mead’s absence, as vice- captain.

​The Kyle Laybutt will also debut in the Prime Minister’s red black and gold jersey when he runs off the bench.

Incumbent PNG LNG Kumuls captain David Mead will lead the side with James Segeyaro, who captained the team is:

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck became the first Warriors player to clinch the Dally M Medal – and it was fitting the win was celebrated with an impromptu haka by some of his New Zealand mates.The baby-faced skipper leap-frogged Newcastle sensation Kalyn Ponga in the final round of voting.“This is crazy,’’ Tuivasa-Sheck said on Wednesday night.“I remember the first time I came to these awards in 2013, Cooper Cronk won the Dally M and I remembered sitting there thinking, ‘Man, it would be a dream to win this award’.“I didn’t know that day would come, so I feel truly blessed to be holding this trophy and wearing this medal.’’

Moments after Tuivasa-Sheck finished his speech, including thanking his proud father, Johnny, Warriors teammates Issac Luke and Jazz Tevaga, as well as Canberra and Kiwi international Jordan Rapana, performed the haka in the middle of Sydney’s Overseas Passenger Terminal.Tuivasa-Sheck stood metres away on stage and was almost reduced to tears.“That’s just crazy. Where I’m from back in New Zealand this is a special moment for me,” Tuivasa-Sheck said.“Back home when something happens, the haka is performed to bring up a special occasion and just to be receiving one is a big honour.Add to shortlist“To have Bully (Issac Luke) a close friend of mine do it for me and a close group of friends there was truly special for me.”With his partner back home in New Zealand with his young child, Tuivasa-Sheck embraced his father on the stage after he won.“My dad, even though he was a bit quiet tonight, he gives some pretty honest feedback and sometimes I want to block his number because they keep coming,” he said.“But that’s because he wants to pick up small areas in my game and wants to help me improve me every day. He’s fully into it and I love him for it.”Ponga was entitled to be close to crying himself given injury all but robbed him of taking out the Dally M in his first full year in the NRL.The Knights No. 1 missed the final two matches for Newcastle because of an ankle injury and did a remarkable job to finish as high up the leaderboard as he did.So, too, did Knights star teammate Mitchell Pearce, who was brilliant in his first year at the Hunter club.Plenty of good judges believe the Knights would have pushed for finals football had Pearce not missed two months in the middle of the season with a pectoral injury.Cronulla’s Valentine Holmes rattled home in the voting, while Wests Tigers No. 7 Luke Brooks, who took out his club’s top award and led the Dally Ms with three rounds remaining, rounded out the top five.Twitter Ads info and privacyTuivasa-Sheck was brilliant for the Warriors and a big reason they reached the finals when most tipsters had them taking out the wooden spoon.The 25-year-old briefly entertained a switch to rugby before he signed a new four-year deal with the Warriors at the start of the year, and he gave the Auckland franchise plenty of bang for their buck.Two key games which would have definitely featured the maximum three votes were in rounds 21 and 22.Tuivasa-Sheck had run for nearly 200m by half-time against St George Illawarra at WIN Stadium, and also stopped Tim Lafai from scoring in the first half.The following week he chalked up more than 300m in an absolute clinic against the Knights back home.Like Ponga and Pearce, Tuivasa-Sheck missed games this year – and the chance to poll – because of the birth of his first baby.The Warriors’ chances of advancing past week one of the finals, however, were dashed as soon as Tuivasa-Sheck was forced from the field with a knee injury before half-time.The medial ligament strain has also cost Tuivasa-Sheck the chance to play Australia in the October 13 Test on home soil, as well as the Test series against England.Add to shortlistCameron Smith was crowned captain of the year, Brisbane’s Jamayne Isaako the rookie, Anthony Seibold coach of the year and Damien Cook, one of the early favourites for the Dally M, the Provan Summons People’s Choice Award.“This is a night we can celebrate the incredible feats of our players,’’ NRL CEO Todd Greenberg said.“Our players are the reason we have seen crowds, ratings and memberships increase thisyear.“Our players played such a key role in the rise in participation this year – because younggirls and boys want to be like them.’’In a special presentation, former St George player Steve Morris was officially added to the record books as the first recipient of the Dally M Medal.Morris was awarded a Dally M Medal in 1979, but until Wednesday night was never acknowledged as a Dally M Medal winner.“Steve has never been recognised since, but our records will be updated to show he won the first Dally M Medal,’’ Greenberg said of the father of twins Josh and Brett.Smith won the award last year, while Cooper Cronk and Jason Taumalolo shared the spoils in 2016.Full list of winnersDally M Player of the Year: Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (Warriors)Captain of the Year: Cameron Smith (Melbourne Storm)Coach of the Year: Anthony Seibold (South Sydney Rabbitohs)Peter Moore Award for Rookie of the Year: Jamayne Isaako (Brisbane Broncos)Fullback of the Year: Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (Warriors)Winger of the Year: Blake Ferguson (Sydney Roosters)Centre of the Year: Joseph Leilua (Canberra Raiders)Five-eighth of the Year: Cameron Munster (Melbourne Storm)Halfback of the Year: Luke Brooks (Wests Tigers)Lock of the Year: Jason Taumalolo (North Queensland Cowboys)Second-rower of the Year: Josh Jackson (Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs)Prop of the Year: Andrew Fifita (Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks)Hooker of the Year: Damien Cook (South Sydney Rabbitohs)Interchange Player of the Year: Jazz Tevaga (Warriors)Top Points Scorer: Jamayne Isaako (Brisbane Broncos)Top Try Scorer: David Fusitu’a (Warriors)Provan Summons People’s Choice Medal: Damien Cook (South Sydney Rabbitohs)Female Player of the Year: Brittany Breayley (Brisbane Broncos)Peter Frilingos Headline Moment: Holden Women’s State of Origin..NRL.COM

]]>Wed, 26 Sep 2018 23:35:40 GMThttp://www.pngfacts.com/sports-news/cherry-evans-firms-as-kangaroos-halfback​Daly Cherry-Evans has firmed to become the Kangaroos' next halfback after James Maloney was ruled out of next month's Tests in New Zealand due to a neck injury.

Maloney visited a surgeon on Tuesday and will require some form of surgery in the next month, meaning he will miss Australia's Tests against the Kiwis and Tonga.

"If I didn't do anything it would go straight away next year. I can't keep nursing it for a whole season so we'll have to get something done."

That development comes on the same day Cherry-Evans was named as as captain in Mal Meninga's Prime Minister's XIII to take on Papua New Guinea next weekend, while Dragons playmaker Ben Hunt was picked at hooker.

With long-time Australian halves Cooper Cronk and Johnathan Thurston bowing out of representative football, spots are up for grabs for the October 13 and 20 internationals.

Cherry-Evans was so committed to breaking into the Australian side that instead of booking holidays following a tough NRL season with Manly he has trained by himself to stay in shape.

"With such amazing footballers retiring from rep football the opportunity is massive and I've been lucky enough to get first opportunity with the Prime Minister's side," Cherry-Evans told AAP.

The Manly skipper is one of a number of potential Australian players in the 20-man squad to battle the Kumuls in Port Moresby along with Jake Trbojevic, Reagan Campbell-Gillard, Tyson Frizell, Aaron Woods and David Klemmer.

After Manly's failure to make the top eight, Cherry-Evans gave himself a few weeks off to rest some niggling injuries before returning to training in case he received a call-up from Meninga.

His game-winning performance for Queensland in State of Origin III only fuelled his representative dream and he heads to PNG driven to add to his 11 Kangaroos appearances after he last played for Australia in 2014.

"I was focused on being available and keeping my body in check for an opportunity. I didn't get a heads up on it, I wanted to make sure if the call came I was ready," Cherry-Evans said.

Serena Williams' behaviour in the US Open final has divided the tennis world after she called the chair umpire a "liar" and a "thief" and said he treated her differently than male players during her loss to Naomi Osaka.

Williams, who was seeking a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam singles title, was handed a warning for a coaching violation before being deducted a point for smashing her racquet.

She then had a heated argument with chair umpire Carlos Ramos, which cost her a game.

The six-times U.S. Open champion has been fined $26 thousand.

In the wake of Osaka's first Grand Slam triumph, there were messages of support for Williams as well as those condemning her behaviour and agreeing with the umpire's calls.

Tennis great Billy Jean King wrote on Twitter when a woman is emotional she's hysterical and is penalised when a man does the same, he's "outspoken".

(2/2) When a woman is emotional, she’s “hysterical” and she’s penalized for it. When a man does the same, he’s “outspoken” & and there are no repercussions. Thank you, @serenawilliams, for calling out this double standard. More voices are needed to do the same.

— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) September 9, 2018However former New Zealand tennis professional Belinda Cordwell disagrees, she said it's unfortunate Williams has tried to play the sexism card.

"It kind of took us away from the focus of what we are really discussing here.

Players who have been allowed over the years, through the money involved and through their power, to behave in ways which I think as a parent are really inappropriate, especially if you're trying to raise your children to have great sportsmanship," Cordwell said.

Australian Margaret Court, whose tally of Grand Slam singles titles is being chased by Williams, had little sympathy telling The Australian newspaper it's sad for the sport when a player tries to become bigger than the rules.

"Because the young player outplayed her in the first set, I think pressure got her more than anything."

The drama started when Ramos handed Williams a coaching violation early in the second set because of hand gestures made from the stands by her coach Patrick Mouratoglou. He later admitted the offence, which that is not allowed in the sport but rarely enforced.

When the violation was announced Williams approached Ramos to insist she never takes coaching and would rather lose than "cheat to win".

Things seemed to settle down as Williams went on to break Osaka for a 3-1 lead, but she gave the break right back in the next game with a pair of double faults, prompting the former champion to smash her racquet on the court.

That resulted in a second violation, meaning Osaka was awarded the first point of the sixth game.

Williams, who was under the impression the first violation had been rescinded, returned to Ramos to seek an apology for saying she had received coaching earlier.

During a changeover, Williams resumed her argument with the umpire, this time saying he was attacking her character and was a "thief". That triggered a third violation, which resulted in a game penalty that gave Osaka a 5-3 lead.

From there, Williams summoned the tournament referee to the court and said male tennis players are not punished for similar offences.

Tennis great John McEnroe, one of the game's most tempestuous characters in his playing days, said the sport must find a way to allow players to express feelings and inject their personality into the game while adhering to certain rules.

According to McEnroe, Ramos should not have given Williams a violation for breaking her racquet and should have warned her early on about what would happen if she did not move on.

"I've said far worse," McEnroe, a seven-times Grand Slam singles winner, said on ESPN. "She's right about the guys being held to a different standard, there's no question."

Yet Richard Ings, a former professional chair umpire who also used to be the ATP Tour Executive Vice-President, Rules and Competition, felt it was Williams who needed to apologise.

Ings once issued a warning, point penalty and a game penalty against McEnroe at the 1987 U.S. Open for obscenities directed at the umpire.

"We should not let her record, as glowing as it is, overshadow the fact that on this day, in this match Williams was wrong," Ings wrote in The Sydney Morning Herald.

"The decisions made by Ramos had nothing to do with sexism or racism. They had everything to do with observing clear breaches of the grand slam code of conduct and then having the courage to call them without fear or favour."

The Ispwich Jets now take the 6th spot after the belted the Norths Devils 22 - 14 this afternoon.

Trailing 28-10 at the break, the Hunters fought hard in the second half to reduce the deficit; but poor defence allowed the home side to capitalise and end their season on a high.

Both Chanel Seigafo and Bill Cullen crossed for two tries apiece for the Capras, while Connor Broadhurst was successful with five out of six conversion attempts and also piloted over two penalty goals.

Marum was left to lament a poor effort in defence; something that had previously gotten the Hunters into a position to press for a finals berth after an inconsistent start to the season.

"Our goal line defence was terrible,” he said. “In the end, they played as team and we didn't.

“It was a disappointing loss."

The lose show the defending champions bow out for the season.​

]]>Mon, 20 Aug 2018 05:33:28 GMThttp://www.pngfacts.com/sports-news/western-highlands-to-build-new-multi-purpose-stadiumWESTERN Highlands plans to build a multi-purpose stadium at the Kagamuga Show Ground to promote sports and culture, says Governor Paias Wingti, pictured,He announced this during the Hagen Cultural Show on Saturday.Wingti said the province was undergoing some major developments including the re-development of the Kagamuga airport and the four-lane road from the airport to Keltiga.

The next project is the new stadium and a big market at the Togoba road junction for the people of Western Highlands, Southern Highlands and Enga.Wingti said on top of all that, the provincial government would continue to sponsor the cultural show.Wingti said culture and tradition lured tourists into the country.Australian High Commissioner Bruce Davis commended the cultural groups for taking part in the show and keeping their culture and tradition alive.Davis said culture and tradition were their “identity to the outside world”.He urged the people to keep their culture and tradition alive.Chief executive of the Tourism Promotion Authority Jerry Agus committed K50,000 to the Hagen show, saying his office was happy to support provincial governments in promoting culture.

A TWO-try effort by fullback Edene Gabbie against Wynnum Manly helped the SP PNG Hunters stay in the Q-Cup top six with one game left in the regular season.The Hunters overwhelmed the visiting Seagulls 40-16 in their round 23 clash – their last home game of the season – to stay in sixth spot (on 28 points), outscoring the opposition eight tries to three in front of 12,000 fans at the Oil Search National Football Stadium yesterday.Hunters coach Michael Marum had to make changes to the line-up with centre Thompson Teteh dropped from the side for disciplinary reasons while halfback Watson Boas was relegated to the bench with Charlie Simon starting.“We had a good first half, a good result, a good win and I couldn’t ask for more. I’ll be happy if we finish sixth,” Marum said.“Our halves executed well and Edene provided good support too.”Gabbie’s effort came off a tough week where the 23-year old battled a right ankle injury as well as a family bereavement.He got his first four pointer 10 minutes after hooker Wartovo Puara Jr opening the scoring with the first try in the opening minute.

The Hunters shoot out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter dominating the exchanges and kept on a roll to the delight of the crowd with centre Adex Wera selling a dummy close to the Wynnum line before cutting back in to post his side’s third try.Hunters captain Ase Boas, who had an off day with the boot kicking four from eight, and halves partner Charlie Simon controlled proceedings well throughout the opening half with Gabbie getting his second try in the 35th minute for a 20-6 halftime score.Earlier Wynnum No.7 Jayden Burrell had crashed over close to the line to get his side on the board.Gabbie’s second try was perhaps the best of the afternoon with the Hunters working two second man plays in a move that saw two decoy runners for each pass off the first receiver before Gabbie, who had run around from the short side, took the fourth pass to go over untouched.Back-rower McKenzie Yei scored his first try of the season when he pounced on a fumbled catch by Wynnum wing Jack Goodsell two minutes into the second half.At 26-6 and with the crowd behind them, the Hunters continued to get the better of the exchanges and the result was further cemented when Puara split the marker defence to run 30m before turning it back in to Moses Meninga for the prop to score under the uprights in the 45th minute.Boas scored his side’s seventh try in the 52nd minute after getting an assist from Puara and at 36-6, the Hunters looked like they could hit the half century mark with 25minutes to go.The Boas brothers combined to score the Hunters eighth try of the afternoon, with Ase gathering in a grubber in-goal to counter attack running 60m before off-loading to Watson to score on Wynnum’s right edge.The visitors, who last week upset the Norths Devils, finished strongly with tries to centre Delouise Hoeter (70th minute) and back-rower Adam Tuimavave-Gerrard (79th minute).The Hunters travel to Rockhampton to face the CQ Capras on Saturday in the final round of the regular season and need a win to secure their place in the top six. PNG Hunters 40 (Edene Gabbie 2, Wartovo Puara Jr, Adex Wera, McKenzie Yei, Moses Meninga, Ase Boas, Watson Boas tries; Ase Boas 4 con) Wynnum Manly Seagulls 16 (Jayden Burrell, Delousie Hoeter, Adam Tuimamave-Gerrard tries; Michael Dobson 2 con)Rd 23 Results: Sat, Aug, 18 – Tigers 36 Magpies 34, Jets 52 TH Seagulls 16, Bears 22 Blackhawks 12, Cutters 32 Devils 24, Capras 26 Falcons 18, Pride 6 Dolphins 16; Sun, Aug 19 – Hunters 40 WM Seagulls 16. TheNational/PNGFacts